Powell Valley Electric Cooperative and solar
Powell Valley Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 27,788 homes in Tennessee, Virginia. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 12.5¢8% below Tennessee average
- Typical bill
- $1371,097 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~22%No statewide net metering
- Typical payback
- Never4.8 kW, cash
Export rules for Powell Valley Electric Cooperative customers
No statewide net metering (Tennessee rule).
Tennessee has no net metering law; almost all homes are served by TVA-supplied local power companies. Solar offsets your own usage, but exported power is typically bought at TVA's low wholesale avoided-cost rate (about 2.7 c/kWh in late 2026) or a local utility's own rate.
Solar for a typical Powell Valley Electric Cooperative home
| System | 4.8 kW (50% of 1,097 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $18,380 |
| First-year savings | $658 |
| Payback | never within 25 years |
| 25-year net | −$1,043 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- —
- Share of customers
- —
- Residential solar capacity
- —
- Residential customers
- 27,788
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Powell Valley Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Powell Valley Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Powell Valley Electric Cooperative follows Tennessee's rules: Tennessee has no net metering law; almost all homes are served by TVA-supplied local power companies. Solar offsets your own usage, but exported power is typically bought at TVA's low wholesale avoided-cost rate (about 2.7 c/kWh in late 2026) or a local utility's own rate.
How much does electricity cost with Powell Valley Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 12.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 12.5¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,097 kWh a month, a bill of about $137.
Is solar worth it with Powell Valley Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 4.8 kW system costing about $18,380 does not pay back within 25 years, with −$1,043 net over 25 years.
How many Powell Valley Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
Powell Valley Electric Cooperative did not report residential net-metered solar to EIA for 2025.
Legal name: Powell Valley Electric Coop (EIA ID 15293). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.